TheBanyanTree: wet Australia

[Peter Macinnis]

I was asked on another list what I meant when I said that the dams in 
Sydney are now full and overflowing, that we now had a ten-year water 
supply (at one point, we were down to about two years' worth), and that 
our daughter, in Australia for two days, may encounter local flooding. 
As this news seems not to have filtered out, here is my reply, based on 
reports from rural friends:

The very fish on the rivers are drowning, and the first of the amazing 
homing whales of the Simpson Desert have been seen entering river mouths 
at various points along the coast.  Kangaroos are queueing up at RSPCA 
stations to be fitted with floaties, and whole paddocks are covered in 
spider silk as wolf spiders try to get carried away by the breeze.

OK, I made up most of that, but not the spider bit.  See 
<http://www.smh.com.au/environment/animals/wolf-creek-spiders-spinning-out-of-control-as-waters-rise-20120307-1ukmo.html> 
  There will also be a lot of wildlife, including snakes, making for any 
available dry spots.

Wagga Wagga is now cut in two halves, which are being referred to as 
Wagga and Wagga.

Gumly Gumly is either under threat or under water, the Bogan has peaked 
at Dandaloo, but Mulgawarrina is still under threat.  Euabalong, 
Condobolin, Wilcannia, Walwa, Burtundy, Menindee, Nathalia, Narrandera, 
Carrathool are expected to have major floods, Enngonia, Wanaaring, 
Gundagai, Brewarrina, Tarcutta, Molong, Eugowra, Booligal and 
Weilmoringle will only have minor flooding, while Bridgenbrong, 
Jingellic and Biggara appear to be safe.

No, none of those names is made up.  These euphonious places are full of 
people who have been suffering under drought for years, now with these 
floods, they will lose some or all of the good crops, and possibly some 
of their recovering stock.

There will be major economic losses for them and for people in tourism, 
and a number of people have drowned, usually as a consequence of failing 
to take advice to evacuate, or ignoring advice not to drive through 
flood waters.

The floods will take months to pass: in the 19th century, shallow-draft 
paddle-steamers sometimes went 40 or 50 miles out of the river channels 
in times of flood, servicing the outback stations (and occasionally 
being stranded until the next flood, if they didn't heed the warning signs).

The consolation for the Sydney region: this could have been a serious 
bushfire year, as the fuel levels were high at the start of summer. 
Continual rains have prevented that, but everything has been growing 
furiously, and our next dry summer will be up to the fire levels we had 
in 1994.

That's Australia for you.

peter



-- 
  _--|\   Peter Macinnis, feral word herder, & science gossip.
/     \  Inexplicable events coordinator and former designer
\.--._*  of medium & large-scale mistaken identity matrixes.
      v   http://oldblockwriter.blogspot.com/